The Countdown Anticipation
by Nebuleste
Summary: As the year comes to an end, Sheldon reflects on the past he shared with Penny.


**A/N:  
><strong>

**Happy New Year's Eve! To celebrate, here's a fic set in some alternate universe where our non-canon ship can simply be. No bashing or anything negative in this story! Reviews are greatly appreciated and thank you in advance if you decide to write one.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>10...<em>

He remembered that morning when he first met her- she was unpacking her furniture across the hall while music from the radio played in the background. Their eyes locked for a moment before he shyly diverted his gaze down to the floor. Not only was she beautiful, his new neighbor was also witty and possessed a bubbly personality that intrigued him quite much. He had never met anyone as elusive as her, and when she called him "a beautiful mind, genius guy," his heart had never fluttered the way it did right then.

_9..._

She was chaotic. Unpredictable. Infuriating. Stubborn. Messy. Sarcastic. This new neighbor of his was the total opposite of himself and he wondered why she was still allowed to spend time with the group. She would touch his food and sit on his beloved spot on purpose, adding more fuel to the already roaring fire. He'd warn her and issue strikes, but somehow, she would always win with her charming and clever ways.

She had her sweet moments from time to time. There was that one instance when he accidentally locked himself out of his apartment while his roommate wrecked havoc in Vegas with the others, and he had no choice but to stay at her place.

At first, he couldn't stand it. He wasn't used to sleeping on a bed that was not his, but he was eventually able to have a restful night when she sang him Soft Kitty. Her voice was soothing and melodious, and he thanked her then for letting him sleep over.

_8..._

He never thought he would do something completely dangerous and never been done before. She had dislocated her shoulder due to the lack of adhesive ducks on her shower floor, and she needed to be driven to the hospital. He was scared and nervous, but she was the damsel in distress while he was the hero. No hero should be cowardly or frightened by a plebeian task. He was very fortunate when they both made it to the emergency room safely and it was afterwards when he realized it was worth it.

She was drugged, and needed to be tucked into bed. After singing Soft Kitty in a round, she motioned him to come close to her face and he assumed that she wanted to whisper something into his ear. He stared at her when she leaned into him and placed her lips on his. She said it was a thank you for the heroic deed he had done for her and then she drifted off to sleep.

There were figurative butterflies in his stomach and he found himself blushing madly as he recalled the kiss she planted on him. He was reminded of those feelings he had when he first met her, but quickly squashed them after realizing that his roommate was her boyfriend. It would hurt him letting go, but his best friend had pursued her first and he needed to accept that fact.

_7..._

She had ended the relationship during a bowling ball match with his arch-enemy. She ran out of the building in tears, and in haste, he followed her to the parking lot. Sitting inside her car, she let her tears stream freely as she told him why she was upset and the reason for her actions. He found out that she didn't love her newly ex-boyfriend the way he loved her, and she felt awful when she knew that she could never say it back.

As the rain started to pour outside, he gathered her in his arms and allowed her to cry on his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears. It would be inappropriate to tell her now how he felt about her, and the thought of being a rebound was unappealing to his ears. Until then, he comforted her and told her that everything would be fine, and that he would always be there for her.

_6..._

They began spending more time together either by teaming up during Halo nights, doing laundry on Saturday at 8:15pm, having spaghetti with little hot dogs dinner in her apartment, or simply watching television on the couch. He was used to her constant presence and when she was having a rough day, all she needed to do was tell him and he would try his best to brighten the rest of her evening.

It struck her the worst when her ex-boyfriend began dating their friend's sister. All of her friends were in stable relationships and she felt left out. She wanted to feel loved by another man and be with someone she could be happy with for a lifetime. When she confided that to him, it was now or never. He held her hands and looked into her sparkling green eyes. He poured out everything he had pent up for four years and hoped that her reaction would be more of a positive one.

What he didn't expect was that at the end of his heart felt speech, she would kiss him and tell him that she had felt the same way for some time now.

_5..._

He remembered their first couple's argument four months into the relationship. A friend of his, a neurobiologist, became too close to him. His girlfriend (he surprisingly enjoyed using that term) shrugged it off at first but when she found out that his new friend was actually interested in him, she became worried.

It started off with her confronting him as he was working on his laptop. She wasn't too happy about how close he got with this other woman and he was unsure of how to react. She asked him kindly to lessen his communication with the female scientist and he accused her of not trusting him. It then spiraled into insults being made and with her storming out of his apartment.

He visited her home a little while later to apologize for his behavior, and she explained her true reasoning to him. She trusted him the most, but recently she felt that she wasn't good enough for a man like him. She was merely a community college drop-out and a Cheesecake Factory waitress with a failing acting career. She thought that he should be with someone as smart and successful as him, and had more to offer than what she had.

He couldn't believe that she would feel insecure about herself. He told her that she was the woman he loved and everything about her was good enough for him. To reassure her, he gave her one of the most passionate kisses he could ever initiate, which led to something more intimate happening for the first time that night.

_4..._

He took her to Galveston a month later to tell his family about their new relationship.

His mother had been rooting for the two of them ever since she met the blonde.

His twin sister was more surprised, but happy about the fact that they were now a couple.

His older brother didn't believe him at first and tried flirting with her. He yelled at his brother for hitting on her and it made his sibling realize that the relationship was actually real.

His Meemaw approved of her and welcomed her into the family with loving arms.

When he and his grandmother were alone, she gave him something that his Pop-pop presented to her years and years ago. His Meemaw told him that even though it's too soon, she still wanted him to have it just in case he was ready and the time was right.

He told her that he was certain that she was the one for him and she would be the one receiving what was inside the small velvet box.

_3..._

In some magical way, the two seemed to fit together. He spent his life knowing that opposites attract each other, and they were each a different side of a magnet.

There were people who doubted them from the start. They would say that he's too immature for her or she's too touchy for him. There were those who said they didn't belong together and that they should keep looking for that one fish in the sea. Some thought they wouldn't last a day. Or an hour. Others simply didn't believe such thing could ever happen.

But as three years passed by, he couldn't care less about what they all told him. Perhaps those people were jealous of what they had? None of them matter. All that mattered was that he had her, and they would love each other until the end of time. Nothing could ever change his mind about that.

_2..._

He bent down on one knee, surrounded by their many friends, old and new, while she covered her mouth at the realization of what he was about to do.

Pulling out the small velvet box his grandmother gave him, he wondered why it took him a while to do this. The crowd gasped and began recording the momentous even while he uncovered the top and revealed the shining piece of jewelry tucked inside.

This was it. A new year to spend with each other and new chapter in their lives. It would be an adventure for sure, and he would be more than fine going through the crazy and unpredictable ride as long as he had her by his side.

"Sheldon, w-what?" She stuttered, having some difficulty with forming her words but she already knew what he had planned on doing.

"Penny, when I first met you, I didn't think that I would be in a romantic relationship with anyone. I thought that science and being awarded with the Nobel Prize were above everything else. Kneeling here and presenting you with a ring handed down in my family for generations, I know nothing of that is more important than spending the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" He asked clearly as he looked up to her tearful green eyes.

_1..._

The ball dropped at Times Square, but no one in the room was paying attention to the television screen. Everyone's focus was on the newly engaged couple- both ready to add more pages to the already eventful and interesting story about the unconventional love between the theoretical physicist and the Nebraskan blonde.


End file.
